Ghosts That We Knew
by NightlyHour
Summary: AU-ish. ""Now there are graves in the field where she used to dance and laugh. He could almost see her now, twirling and smiling as she moved between the headstones." Elijah/OC
1. Prologue

**Ghosts That We Knew**

"Now there are graves in the field where she used to dance and laugh. He could almost see her now, twirling and smiling as she moved between the headstones." Elijah/OC

**Prologue**

* * *

**_"__And hold me still, bury my heart next to yours" - Ghosts That We Knew, Mumford And Sons (live version)_  
**

There was much to be said about Mystic Falls Graveyard. The history was there, sure, but he doesn't recall a time where the graves littered the grass and the trees. There once was grass, flowers, and just open space. To be replaced with such a dark and gloomy place only served to darken her memory, to mock him about her fate.

He walks a path that he used to take with her every day they would met, a young girl from the village across the way. She had such a bright smile, bright green eyes and black hair that rested on her shoulder in a braid. He was sure that he would be the one to marry her one day, though she almost seemed too free to be someone's wife.

He settled to just love her, instead.

There is now a white stone bench in the place where they used to lay in the grass, her head resting against his shoulder as they would talk or she would just rest in his arms. He sat down, looking out at the graves. The grass isn't as green any more, the soil underneath holding bodies of many people.

Now there are graves in the field where she used to dance and laugh. He could almost see her now, twirling and smiling as she moved between the headstones. He avoided such a place for a reason, and he couldn't help but allow the memories.

To hear her voice, to see her face.

He had promised that he would remember her if they were ever separated, and he was a man of his word. The memories of her played out in front of his eyes like a movie, the graves fading.


	2. Chapter 1

**Note: **I'm sorry for taking so long with this, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thank you all for the feedback!

* * *

**Ghosts That We Knew**

"Now there are graves in the field where she used to dance and laugh. He could almost see her now, twirling and smiling as she moved between the headstones." Elijah/OC

**Chapter One**

* * *

_She watched behind her mother, the urge to grip the back of her dress like a small child crossed her mind. Her brother lay on the ground, nude, with blood on his face and body. The alpha of the pack stood above him, Claudia picking up on the tightness of his forearms as his fists clenched in rage. _

"_I have half the mind to put you into your place!" he roared, Claudia watching her brother cower with his hands moving to cover his bloody face. Though, at first glance one would think that he would be the one bleeding, yet there was no cuts or wounds on his face at all. The blood that covered his skin was not his own, fear showing through his green eyes as he stared up at the larger man towering above him. _

_Claudia knew something went wrong when he didn't return home with the rest of the "wolves", her mother trying to hide her concern the best she can. Yet, there she was, standing back and blocking Claudia as if she was protecting her from her own son. Claudia wanted to cry, confused as to why her brother was getting into such a situation. _

_The thought of him killing someone made her skin crawl, the picture of her older brother playing around with her in the woods was splattered with the blood that covered his face. Though, Claudia wondered if he was even in control when he killed the person from the other village. She shook with the idea of the people from that village coming over to attack them, it was always a threat that their alpha seemed to have on the forefront of his mind. _

"_I am so sorry," her brother pleaded, the alpha still standing over him. Claudia wanted to rush over there and hold her brother close, to protect him like he did for her on a number of occasions. Though, she knew that this time it was all on him and there was nobody there to defend him. _

"_Claudia," her mother whispered, turning partly towards her. Claudia was almost to her height, the two of them looking quite alike. Her mother placed a firm hand on her shoulder, forcing her daughter's eyes away from the scene in front of them. _

"_Listen to me," she said, Claudia picking up on the alpha moving swiftly towards her brother and pulled him upright. Her mother shook her again, Claudia's attention completely on her once again, her eyes shaking from fear. _

"_You need to leave, quickly," she said, "you do not need to be witness to this."_

"_Mother, brother needs-"_

"_No," she stated, "go for a walk, but, please, stay away from the other village. Who knows what will happen if they see that you are from here."_

_Claudia nodded, trying not to look towards her brother as she left. Her mind was racing, she wanted to be there for her brother and yet she knew that this had to be. She decided she needed to be in the sun for a while, maybe find some sort of relief from this. _

_Even if it was only for a few short minutes. _

* * *

_She sat under the shade of a tree, allowing a few rays of light to hit her face through the branches and leaves. Elijah wasn't sure if he wanted to disturb her, she looked so peaceful and deep in thought. This was the spot where they met when they could, Claudia was usually up and smiling at him when he came down the path. But, she seemed distant today, and he wondered if he should just let her be._

_Then, it was too late, as Claudia seemed to notice his presence. Her eyes widened in surprise, her hand moving to her stomach as she let out a breath. _

"_You startled me," she remarked, watching Elijah as he approached her. He gave her a small smile, Claudia returning it quickly, though it didn't touch her eyes at all. _

"_You seem troubled," Elijah commented, taking a seat down beside her as Claudia returned to looking towards some trees across the field. _

"_I am," she said after a few moments, "though, I do not want to bother you with my issues."_

"_I am your friend," Elijah stated simply, gathering that would be a good enough reason as to why she could tell him. Claudia chuckled softly, turning to look at him. _

"_You do not want to know what is happening, Elijah," she said, "believe me."_

_Elijah was silent for a few moments, Claudia thinking that he would drop the subject once again. She was hoping he wouldn't come to see her today, that she would be able to sit alone for a while, and then head back home. Yet, it was her fault for sitting in the spot she did. _

_This place felt safe, and she gathered she had no other place to come to. _

"_Has it something to do with the body we found outside our village?" Elijah asked, Claudia seeming to flush slightly at the mention of that. _

"_Yes," she muttered softly, not looking away from the spot she was staring at across the field. "my brother is being punished for it."_

_Elijah knew that she lived in the village with the wolves, though Claudia didn't seem to show signs of being one. She was rarely aggressive, and on the days of the full moon, she seemed to be calm and collected. Worried about his family and their protection from time to time, but she didn't seem anxious or in pain when the night would fall and she would hurry back towards her village. _

_Still, it surprised him from time to time that he would forget that she wasn't part of his village, and that she did feel guilt and shame when one of the wolves would kill someone from his village. Claudia shook her head, leaning her head back against the trunk of the tree. _

"_It's foolish of me to think that it would never happen to my family," she said, studying the branches of the tree above her, "and yet, I should be suspected this. My mother suspected this, and my father I'm sure did too."_

"_Do not blame yourself," Elijah said, "I am sorry that this happened to your family."_

"_Please, do not apologize for the fact that my brother took a life last night," Claudia said, sounding bitter and angry, "he is being punished for it."_

_She looked at him with a sad expression, Elijah seeing that she was holding back tears. He recognized that expression many times on his sister, Rebekah, though she was a little less composed than Claudia was. Claudia rarely showed if she was upset by something, and it was rare to see her actually break down in front of someone. He often thought she hid behind her smile. _

_The two of them sat under the tree for a while, the sun reaching it's peak in the sky and the day's heat was starting to be felt. Elijah stood, Claudia watching him for a few moments before she stood too. _

"_I have duties I need to do," Elijah said, Claudia nodding her head in understanding. "it was a pleasure to see you, as always."_

_Claudia laughed outright at that statement, "I think we both know that this wasn't a very good visit, but I am happy to have spent time with you as well. I shall see you tomorrow, hopefully."_

_Elijah gave her a nod, biding her farewell and headed back up the path towards his village. Claudia watched him go for a few moments, the feeling of loneliness hit her slightly harder than it usually did when he left. _

_She brushed the feeling off and walked back towards her village, bracing herself foe what she would find there. _

* * *

_She arrived a completely different person the next day, there was more light in her eyes and a bright smile on her face. Claudia talked of the dogs in her village and how the pups were doing, one of her favourite things to talk about. She didn't speak of what happened the day before, if her brother was fine, but she seemed happy and content. More grounded._

_Elijah didn't want to shatter that by talking about dark things, but his village was growing more and more hostile towards the wolves. More so his father, but things seemed to have died down a little bit for now. _

_Still, this was the Claudia he liked to see, and he found himself having a harder time leaving her when she was like this. _


	3. Chapter 2

**Note:** I've been neglecting this story for the other ones that I have been writing, but I have had a few ideas for this one that might make it into a longer fic than I had originally planned. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long with this one, I hope this chapter makes up for it.

* * *

**Ghosts That We Knew**

"Now there are graves in the field where she used to dance and laugh. He could almost see her now, twirling and smiling as she moved between the headstones." Elijah/OC

**Chapter Two**

* * *

"_Don't you ever worry about becoming a wolf?" Elijah asked one day, Claudia pausing in her walking to look at him questioningly. The full moon was that night, not that such a thing really bothered her all that much. She knew that Elijah was smart enough not to wonder around at night during the full moon, and she knew to leave early so she could get into a safe place. _

"_Usually you ask me about being attacked by one, not becoming one," Claudia said with a soft chuckle, "to answer your question, I do not worry about it. I won't become one. I never will." _

"_You don't know that," Elijah said, "an accident could change everything." _

"_I'll never become one because I am not a werewolf," Claudia said, letting out a small sigh, "my mother had relations with a man before she met my father, which resulted in my birth. Luckily, the father I have now was accepting of both myself and my mother. Therefore, I do not worry about becoming a wolf because I am not able to become one." _

"_Ah..." Elijah trailed off, "I am...sorry to hear that." _

"_Don't be," Claudia said, waving her hand slightly, a smile returning to her face, "I'll never understand why, but the man my mother married treats me like his own daughter. He is my father, despite the fact that we have no relation," she paused, "why ask such a question, anyway? Were you worried I would become like the wolves you have seen?" _

"_No, but I was simply wondering as you don't seem as worked up during the moon as the people of your village do." _

"_Well, you now know the answer," Claudia said, "I apologize if it has tainted your view of me." _

"_I do not care," Elijah said, stopping once Claudia picked a spot in the grass, turning to look at him before she sat down. _

"_You are my friend," he continued, taking note of a slight emotion flicker across her face, though it was quickly replaced with a smile. _

"_I'm...very glad to hear that," she said softly, "usually once people hear of me being a bastard, well..." she tailed off, her eyebrows furrowing, then she shook her head, "no matter, thank you for not judging me." _

_She sat down in the grass then, looking up at the evening sky. It would soon be time for them to part once again, but she didn't seem to have that on her mind at the moment. Elijah sat down beside her, Claudia turning to look at him. _

"_So, tell me more about this new girl that has arrived in your village," she said, "from what you have described, she seems quite interesting." _

"_Ah, Tatia," Elijah said with a nod, "she seems to have taken a liking to my brother, Niklaus, as of recent. She still takes time to talk with me, but she seems to be drifting away from me." _

"_I'm very sorry to hear that," Claudia said, sounding genuinely sympathetic, "you had sounded so excited when you first started talking about her." _

"_It is what it is," Elijah said, "if she fancies my brother over myself, there is really nothing I can do about that." _

"_There will be other girls," Claudia said simply, looking away from him once again to look off at the trees across the small field. _

"_Have you any suitors?" Elijah asked, Claudia chuckling and shaking her head. _

"_The men of my village are too reckless and violent for me to become close to," she said, "though, my mother is growing rather inpatient with me about having no interest in such things." _

_Elijah only nodded, silence falling between the two of them. Claudia tried not to show it, but the direction that conversation had started to go was making her uncomfortable. There was also the friend comment that seemed to evoke some sort of negative emotion in her. _

_...it almost felt like disappointment. _

* * *

"_Claudia, will you please just slow down for a few moments!"_

_She let out a laugh, stopping a few feet from a fallen tree trunk, turning to let her friend catch up. She grinned once she caught sight of him, turning to climb over the fallen wood. _

"_You had said you were a hunter!" she exclaimed, "I thought you would be able to keep up me!" _

"_Yes, well I wasn't expecting you to lead us so far off path," Elijah stated, sounding a bit irritated. Claudia just smiled at him, slowing her pace a bit as they made their way to the destination she had been telling him of. _

_She couldn't help it, she was excited. She wanted to get him there as quickly as possible. _

"_I think we are approaching," she said softly, "we have to be quiet or they will spot us." _

"_Who?" Elijah asked, following Claudia as she moved through the bush. _

"_You'll see," she said, moving carefully through the bush. It wasn't long before she crouched low behind part of the log, she gestured for him to come closer. Elijah moved carefully to where she was gesturing, trying to see what she was looking at. There wasn't anything, no people or animals that he could see. _

"_Look under that tree right there," Claudia said carefully, pointing towards a rather large tree with spaces between the roots. It looked like a perfect place for an animal burrow. _

"_There," she said, watching as a small creature poked its head up and out of the burrow, the fox sniffing around a bit. It must have smelt them but hadn't seen them yet. She walked with a slight hop, favouring one leg. Two kits came crawling out after her, clamouring for her attention. _

"_The mother had escaped from a trap a few weeks ago near my village," Claudia explained, "I had watched her leave. I noticed her injury, I went after her so I could tell the hunters where the fox had gone. Then I noticed that she had kits. I couldn't let her be hunted, though I doubt she will last very long with that leg. She won't let me get close, so I just simply leave some food behind every now and then." _

_She turned to look at him, "I come and watch sometimes, though. The babies are cute when they play around, and it makes me happy. I haven't told anybody about them, for they will most likely come out here and kill them." _

"_Well, if you wish it, I won't tell a soul," Elijah said, Claudia giving him a smile. _

"_Thank you," she said, backing away from the log and started to head back up, "that's all I wished to show you today. They seem suspicious of us, so I think we should go and let them be in peace." _

_Elijah gathered himself up, following up after her. "I didn't know you cared so much about animals." _

_Claudia chuckled nervously, "Not really, but I don't know what I find so compelling about the foxes." _

"_You help them, it is only reasonable that you grow a bond," Elijah said, Claudia slowing to walk beside him. _

"_I guess you are right," she said, a rather sad looking smile crossing her face, "we don't keep pets in my village, as they are usually the victims of the wolves when they turn. They have very little to no control once they have turned, and a dog or a cat would be just another animal to them." _

"_Is that why they attack people in the woods? Because they assume they are just an animal?" Elijah asked after a few moments. Claudia sighed, shrugging. _

"_I don't really know, but I would assume so. If you are in their woods, they will most likely attack you. Yet like with any animal, if you scare them enough you can chase them off. Werewolves are a little harder to do so, but it is possible," she said, stepping carefully so she wouldn't trip. _

"_I see," Elijah said as the two of them found the path and started to walk it back up towards his village. _

"_I have been meaning to ask you something," Claudia said, she sounded rather nervous all of a sudden, "I...have been thinking about this for some time now." _

"_What is it?" Elijah asked, glancing back at her. _

"_I know that you are still rather attached to Tatia, and if you have feelings for her then there is nothing I can do about that. Yet, I can't help but wish that you would see as something more than just a friend..." _

_Elijah stopped in his walking, Claudia stopping in hers and looked down at her hands folded in front of her. _

"_Do you view me as more than a friend?" he asked after a few moments pause, Claudia looking up at him again. _

"_If you are asking me that I have feelings for you, then I have to say that I am not sure," she said, "all I know is that I feel that our friendship just isn't enough for me anymore. I can't listen to you talk about Tatia anymore without feeling some envy towards her. It hurts me when you refer to me as just your friend." _

"_Claudia..." Elijah said with a sigh, looking away from her for a few moments. Claudia hung her head slightly, nodding her head. _

"_I am sorry, I should have not said anything," Claudia said, lifting her head, "I should be going, I have duties that need to be getting done at home." _

_She turned and walk off, mentally kicking herself for being so bold. It was selfish to seek something more from him, especially with the way he talked of Tatia. Part of her was expecting for him to call her out once again, but a bigger part of her was glad that he didn't._


End file.
